www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/nag/exhibitions/past
Tom Roberts Roses (1888) 51.4 x 76.9 oil on canvas on plywood
gift of Mr J.O. Manton 1972
[photo used for educational purposes only]
I chose this photo to illustrate the overall theme of William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily". These roses, like Miss Emily Grierson, were once stately and proud. Time, and perhaps neglect, has diminished not only their beauty but also their noble stature. The roses pictured here have nearly reached their end and while still beautiful, they lack luster and strength to hold themselves together or even to stand upright. They remind me of the aged Miss Emily who fought to remain proud and strong to the very end of her life. As Faulkner writes in his story, Miss Emily had "a vague resemblance to those angles in colored church windows - sort of tragic and serene". The feeling I get when viewing this artwork is that the roses, wilting and dying are also sort of tragic and serene.
